Unbroken
by The Alkazarian Emperor
Summary: When Elsa fled after the party she didn't stop at the North Mountain, she went even further. She went to Skyrim. There she learns to stop concealing and fearing, and start standing up for herself, and for Anna. Warning: will contain majorly dark themes, there's a trigger warning in the authors note, so you have been warned. Frozen/Skyrim X-Over with BI/TRI-WEEKLY UPDATE SCHEDULE!
1. Chapter 1

Alkazarian Emperor's note:

So as all, or most as I have no way of knowing if you know me in real life or not, may not know, I kinda sorta maybe coerced Umbra into writing this crossover. Now I say kinda sorta maybe because he easily could have told me to go fuck off. He enjoys writing this, mostly because I let him take the kid gloves off from time to time. Especially when I let him write Elsa's first kill. I have a feeling he enjoyed that a bit too much. So don't flame unnecessarily or I'll have to point him on your direction. Just note, I have authorized Exterminatus and I am about a year away from my space cruiser, which I will get as soon as I'm able to start playing Star Citizen, so don't piss me off 'Kay? ^-^ That's about all I have for now, so imma let Umbra say what he wants to before we kick off the fanfiction.

Legatus Umbra's Note:

I do not own Frozen. If I owned Frozen, I wouldn't have over thirty thousand in student loans, Elsanna would be canon, and y'all would love me forever. Likewise, I do not own Skyrim, outside of my copy of the game. If I did, I would be pulling a Scrooge McDuck and diving into my pool of gold on a regular basis. Seeing as I lack gold, and a pool, I figure we can move on.

So, this is my first fanfiction, and Alkazarian Emperor is the reason. Damn the Emperor if you want. Note: Doing so will cause me to declare Exterminatus upon you. This is, obviously, a Frozen/Skyrim crossover, despite the fact I abhor crossovers for the most part. So, warnings. There will be the following: Swearing, blood and violence, lovingly detailed descriptions of gore, eventual character death, depression, anxiety, spoilers for both Skyrim and Frozen (Do not whine and bitch!), dark themes, probable Elsanna, rape, probable lemons, possible self-harm, and a general tearing down of all happiness. There will not be: Mary Sue self-inserts, any appearance of anyone you request unless it works within the story, and possibly any happy endings for anyone. This fic is rated M for a reason, so scurry on away little kiddies.

Trigger warnings: Any or all of the following will show up in this story: Rape, depression, suicide, self-harm, abuse, and torture. You have been warned, and I have an army of badger attorneys to protect myself.

Constructive criticism is welcome, reviews are welcome, and donations of firstborns are welcome, just don't expect to get them back in one piece. Flames are not welcome, and I will laugh my ass off all the way to Hell if you don't like what happens. The back button is right up there, feel free to use it. And now, on to the main event!

FANFICTION START!

She ran, fleeing across the vast, empty space, away from those who feared her. She ran blindly into the unknown, breath hitching in her throat, coming out in great, tearing gasps. And where she ran, the icy, howling wind followed, swirling and dancing chaotically as she unknowingly fed it.

Elsa, newly crowned queen of Arendelle, fled her city and the people she had revealed her secret to, not willingly, but torn from her in anguish and anger. As she ran, far, far into the mountains, her emotions spun out of control. Were she in a state to notice, she would have been able to identify fear, anger, shame, worry, guilt and other, stranger emotions, all mixing and churning inside her, lending her feet speed and strength for long after she should have had to stop out of exhaustion. But her muscles were not the only things her feelings fed.

Her powers, that of the ice and snow and cold, usually kept repressed, if barely, now roared inside her, struggling against the iron bonds of her will. But even the willpower of a sorceress queen has its limits, especially when it is weakened by the very emotions giving strength to that which it contained. And so her control snapped, and power flooded out of her, fueling the wind that now became a tempest. But the unleashed fury did not stop there. It flooded behind and in front of Elsa, summoning forth an unnatural winter in the depths of summer. Born of emotions no longer contained and power without limit, a storm blanketed the land, frigid winds and endless snow appearing in the night.

_Run. Runrunrunrunrunrun_, her mind screamed at her, driving her onward even as the physical exertion pushed her body to its limits. And so she ran, past the North Mountain, to the border between her small kingdom and the far greater land of Skyrim. As she neared the border though, her strength fled her completely, drained by her panicked flight and the flood of power that froze her country. And so the Queen of Arendelle collapsed without warning, falling forward into the snow, vision going black as she slipped away into unconsciousness.

The first thing she noticed was that she was moving, which confused her to no end. The second thing she became aware of was a rough material that seemed to be binding her wrists, though her mind was still working through everything, so she could be wrong. The final thing she noticed was that it felt like something was stuffed in her mouth, silencing her. Once her exhaustion-addled brain came to grips with these facts, she opened her eyes.

Groggily, she shook her head and looked around. She was on a cart being pulled by a horse, with a handful of guards walking alongside and behind. In the cart with her sat three men. She noted that of them, only one other man was gagged, although all three had their hands bound as hers, which she confirmed by flexing her arms and feeling the coarse rope dig into her skin. Two of them were dressed in blue armor, while the last was dressed in simple cloth. One of the men noticed she was awake and spoke to her.

"Ah, you've finally woken up lass. Divines only know how long you were out before we stumbled upon you. Not that it matters though, we'll all be in Sovngarde before too long. Best make peace with yourself while you can."

Elsa twisted her wrists, trying to free herself. The man shook his head at her, blond hair swinging as he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the male sitting next to her.

"W-w-what do you mean? Where are we going?"

"Isn't it obvious friend? There are only a couple places the Imperials would take the likes of us," the first man responded.

"Why? I-I'm just a horsethief. I don't know any of you. Stealing a horse isn't worthy of execution!" The man paused, eyes darting between everyone else in the cart, before landing on the gagged man. "What's with him anyway? And her for that matter. Why gag those two? Afraid they would scream for help?"

"Watch your tongue thief!" The blond man growled at him, anger evident in his voice and furrowed brow. "You address Ulfric Stormcloak, the rightful High King of Skyrim. Show some respect!"

"Jarl Ulfric? Y-you're Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm, the leader of the rebellion? Oh by the Eight Divines..." The man next to Elsa moaned in fear, before hanging his head in resignation.

Elsa's brow furrowed in thought as her mind raced to recall the information she had learned about Skyrim. She vaguely remembered hearing about the ongoing rebellion, but as Arendelle wasn't involved, and wouldn't be dragged into it, she hadn't paid terribly much attention to it. She shook her head at herself before tuning back in to what her fellows had to say.

"Where are you from horsethief?"

"Why do you want to know?" He responded harshly, fear choking his voice.

"A Nord's last thoughts should always be of home," the first said simply.

"... Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead."

"Keep it in your mind and heart horsethief. I believe we have arrived."

Elsa looked in front of the cart, noticing that the Stormcloak was correct, they were driving through a village. At that point, she noticed there was another cart ahead of them. She heard a child speak.

"Dad, who are they? Where are they going?"

"Get in the house son, never you mind. Go," the boy's father replied earnestly, casting frightened eyes at the convoy.

"Aww, but I want to watch the soldiers!" The young one replied petulantly.

His father was clearly not listening to any arguments. "Go. _Now_."

"Okay, fine." And with that, the boy and his father went into their house and Elsa lost sight of them.

As they passed through the village, Elsa heard several shouts directed at the carts, none friendly, all wishing death upon the occupants. Her eyes teared up a bit, but she shook them away. At that point, they rounded what appeared to be the final bend, and the Stormcloak across from her spoke in a different tone than he had been musing in while Elsa hadn't been paying attention.

"General Tulius, the Emperor's lapdog." He snarled with contempt and hatred. "Of course he would be here, Gods forbid he missed this. Bastard."

He then looked beyond him, and straightened his spine. "Look alive friends, we shall be in Sovngarde soon."

Elsa felt a swirling of butterflies in her abdomen as she looked where he did, and beheld a headsman's block, but reassured herself that she would have the chance to explain who she was, and she would be free to leave. Her inner musings were interrupted, rather rudely she thought for a fraction of a second, by a gruff female voice barking at them.

"Prisoners, exit the carts NOW! And if you even THINK of running, my men will not hesitate to shoot you down like the mad dogs you are."

Elsa and the others left the cart, with Elsa wobbling a bit due to the unfamiliar sensation of hopping down from something without being able to use her hands for balance. She followed the others as they formed a line, and watched an impressively built soldier approach them, holding what looked like several papers. She then heard the same female voice yell out again, and this time saw the owner, a dark-skinned female, dressed in armor more ornate than the man standing before them, but less so than the man near her.

(0.0)

"Prisoners, you will step forward as your name is called, and then approach the block. Anyone failing to do so will not regret their decision for long."

The man before them readied his papers and called out. "Ulfric Stormcloak of Windhelm."

The gagged man next to Elsa stood tall and proud as he walked towards the block, head held high.

"It has been an honor Jarl Ulfric," the blond Stormcloak said as he watched his leader walk.

"Ralof of Riverwood," came the next name.

The blond man strode forth, looking everyone in the eye without a trace of fear.

_Well,_ Elsa thought, _at least I know his name now, even though we're probably going to both die. Wait, shouldn't they be leery of executing the ruler of another country? But you did abandon your throne and your country. And your _sister. _And they really don't look like the caring type._ She cast a nervous glance at the woman and the man – _General Tulius_ her mind supplied, recalling Ralof's comment- beside her. She agreed with her inner monologue that they didn't look overly generous.

"Lokir of Rorikstead."

The horsethief – _Lokir,_ Elsa's mind pointedly reminded her- started to walk towards the block, but then broke off, running for the trees while yelling.

"You aren't going to kill me! I'm not with them! I'm just a thief."

The female officer barked at her men. "Archers! Take him out!"

Elsa watched wordlessly as five men drew their pre-nocked bowstrings back, sighted on the fleeing Lokir, and let fly. All five arrows hit their target with the wet thuds of projectiles impacting flesh. As his body fell to the ground, Elsa fought the sudden tears in her eyes and bile in her throat. Her throat contracted several times as she fought to force the vomit down, turning her gaze back the the expressionless man before her.

_Wait,_ she thought as she looked closer, focusing on him more to drive Lokir from her mind. _He looks... almost sad. Not obviously so, but it's there if you pay attention._ His voice jarred her from her thoughts as someone behind her cut the gag from her mouth.

"Wait now. Who are you?" He asked her, frowning slightly, looking between her and his papers.

Elsa spat out the gag, making a face before standing tall before him, the Queenly mask she had worked on slipping over her features. She smirked inwardly as he noticed her change in demeanor and straightened his spine in accordance with the change.

"I am Elsa Arendelle, queen of the neighboring country of Arendelle. Unless you wish to risk a diplomatic situation, I request that you release me and return me to my home."

_There_, she thought. _That didn't sound too bad, did it? I'm still new to this whole actually being queen thing. Anna would probably know what to say._ She felt a flash of pain go through her heart at the thought of her beloved sister. _Oh Anna... _

The soldier before her looked at her warily, then turned to the officer. "Ma'am, what should I do? She's not on the list and she claims to be royalty."

"I heard her, idiot. Queen of Arendelle, a likely story. More probably a criminal. Not that it matters. Everyone captured goes to the headsman. No exceptions Hadvar. Move!"

Hadvar looked again at Elsa, this time sorrow clear on his face. "I am sorry Milady. I do not believe you are lying, but the captain has given her order, and I must obey. I will make sure your remains are returned to Arendelle, no matter what." With that he gestured to the line of prisoners and stepped back.

Elsa drew a breath like she had been punched in the gut, then released it in a quavering exhale. Despite this, she walked to the line and took her place. She noted that her heart was beating faster and faster in fear of her death. _Conceal, don't feel,_ she thought. _Now at least, I won't hurt Anna ever again. Perhaps... this is what I deserve. I deserve to die here, far from my home, away from _her. _I'm sorry Anna... But now, you're safe forever. _With that thought, she shook the tears from her eyes, regained control of her heartbeat, and listened to General Tulius, who she noted was speaking to Ulfric.

"-But a true ruler would not use a power like the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne."

_The Voice,_ Elsa thought. _I wonder what that is. Something important, judging from his emphasis on it. And murder? I mean, yes, Ulfric _looks _intimidating, but outright murder?_ Once again, she wrestled herself from her thoughts with some difficulty.

"And may the blessings of the Eight Divines watch ov-" A priestess was saying.

"For the love of Talos, let's get this over with," an unknown Stormcloak said harshly, striding over the headsman's block.

"As you wish," the priestess retorted, clearly greatly insulted by having her service interrupted.

As he knelt, the Stormcloak looked at the headsman and spat on his feet, defiantly stating "My ancestors are watching over me Imperials. Can you say the same? I shall see them in Sovn-"

In the middle of his speech, the executioner swung his ax, separating the Stormcloak's head from his body as it fell into the basket. Elsa stared in revulsion, fighting back a growing tide of bile as she struggled not to be sick. Through her struggle she heard Ralof murmur a few words.

"As fearless in death as he was in life. Go on now to Sovngarde my friend."

Elsa started as she heard the captain yell out "Next, the 'queen,'" a sneer of sarcasm dripping from her words. As Elsa was about to step towards her death, an inhuman roar sounded from the sky.

"What was that?!" One of the soldiers exclaimed, looking around for the source of the noise.

"It doesn't matter! I said NEXT PRISONER!" The captain bellowed, eyes flashing dangerously.

Hadvar looked to Elsa. "Let's go Milady, nice and easy."

Elsa walked towards the block and knelt, being sure not to touch the dead Stormcloak. She fought down another wave of nausea as she laid her neck upon the chopping block, looking at the executioner and the tower behind him. As he raised his bloodstained ax, still dripping from the Stormcloak Elsa was doing everything in her power not to think about, she exhaled slowly and gave a small smile.

Right as the ax was about to descend, another, much louder roar sounded, and Elsa saw a huge black _thing_ in the sky.

"What in Oblivion is that?!" A soldier yelled. From his voice, Elsa identified him as the soldier who previously exclaimed something similar.

The captain called out, "Sentries, what do you see?"

All of a sudden, that black shape landed on the tower, shaking the stones themselves and let loose another roar. Elsa's mind went blank with fear as she beheld a figure out of old legends. In some small corner of her mind, a panicked voice told her _It couldn't be. They died centuries ago._ But the next words uttered confirmed her fears.

"DRAGON!" The captain shouted. And suddenly everyone had a great deal more to worry about than some prisoners, even if one was Ulfric Stormcloak himself.

Elsa staggered to her feet, using her still-bound hands to push off of the chopping block. She looked around, and saw Ulfric and Ralof running by her, some of the other Stormcloaks right behind them.

Ralof spotted her and shouted at her. "Come prisoner, no use waiting around her to be eaten."

Wordlessly, Elsa followed him, lurching sideways and almost falling as the wind from the dragon's wings buffeted her. She managed to keep her feet and followed Ralof to a tower, where they paused for a moment, breathing a touch hard.

"Jarl Ulfric, was that really a dragon? From the old legends?"

"Legends don't burn down villages," came a deep and trained voice. It was then that Elsa noticed that not only were the others unbound, but Ulfric was no longer gagged. _A good voice, for a man who would be king_, she noted. _Clearly used to giving commands and having them obeyed._ His voice reminded Elsa of the endless hours of learning to enunciate each word so as to be heard from any possible location of even a great hall.

Jarl Ulfric turned to look at Elsa. "I heard what you claimed to the Imperials. There is not enough time now to discuss it. But should we get out of here alive, meet us in Windhelm, and we will discuss your future."

Elsa nodded her head, acknowledging his words, "Thank you, Jarl Ulfric," she said. "But I believe that may be a greater 'should' than you let on. Unless, that is," she said with a slightly impish grin, "you have experience in killing creatures from ancient myths."

He looked at her for a moment before tipping his head back and giving a deep laugh that seemed to almost shake the air. "Fair enough," he said. "But now is not the time."

"Indeed Jarl Ulfric. I suggest we delay no longer. Up the stairs, hurry," came Ralof's reply.

Without another word, everyone hurried up the stairs Ralof mentioned. As they climbed them however, the tower shuddered and without another warning, the dragon's head burst through the wall, crushing a Stormcloak soldier and sending another flying off the staircase. The sound of him hitting the floor below was drowned out by a cry from the dragon, which almost seemed to Elsa to be words from an unknown language. It almost sounded like **YOL TOOR SHUL**. Immediately afterward however, everything she was just thinking about flew from her mind as the dragon breathed fire, and suddenly she was too busy scurrying out of the way and into a hiding place against the wall.

She noticed right away that she hadn't managed to pull her skirt in fast enough, as it was being greedily consumed by the fire. In a slight panic, she struggled to free herself from her dress, with little success, partly due to her hands still being bound. Without a word, Jarl Ulfric pulled out a dagger he had taken from a fallen soldier and sliced through her dress, and then sliced through the ropes binding her hands. As her dress and bindings fell to the ground, Elsa blushed furiously as he had cut a bit too deeply, neatly slicing through her undergarments as well. After a moment, she chided herself for being silly. After all, there was no place for modesty when a creature from the depths of old legends is currently wrecking the village you happen to be in. So she let her hands fall, but then turned to Ulfric and punched him hard enough to rock him back a bit. He looked at her, then his eyes slowly tracked up and down her body, before he spoke. "I probably deserved that. My apologies for cutting so deeply."

While this was going on, the dragon had left and Ralof peaked out the hole in the wall.

"Not to cut this charming banter short," he said, "but I believe lass that you should be able to jump to the ruined building over there, and hopefully make it to the ground in one piece." He glanced back at Elsa, looked back through the hole in the wall, and then his eyes wandered immediately back to Elsa, where they lingered at her breasts and the apex of her thighs.

"I, for one, am not sorry my Jarl," he said with a smirk, the intensity of his eyes sending small shivers down Elsa's spine, in a notably uncomfortable manner.

Elsa huffed a bit, but decided not to say anything, instead opting to peer out the hole. Right away she noticed the building Ralof mentioned. She gauged the distance, backed up and took a running leap, making it without any issues, but falling forward as her momentum didn't let her stop. She hissed as she scraped her hands on the roughened floor, then turned them over to examine them. Her skin was broken and a small amount of blood trickled from the wounds, but she decided it wasn't a big deal, especially compared to the dragon. She left the building right as Hadvar ran past. He spotted her and skidded to a halt, turning to her. At that point he noticed her state of undress and averted his eyes.

"Pardon me Milady. If you follow me, I can keep you safe." With that he ran off, trusting Elsa to follow, which she did with little hesitation.

"Soldiers, protect the children and civilians," he shouted before scooping a child up out of the way of a burning beam that was about to fall. As he deposited him safely, he looked down at the boy.

"Run lad, find your family and leave Helgan. It is too late to save the town."

He turned to Elsa again, keeping his eyes on her face. "Follow me Milady." And he once again took off.

Elsa sighed but followed him closely, obeying every order he gave. As she noticed the dragon approaching them, she pressed herself against a stone wall, and was momentarily surprised at how warm it was. Then she mentally berated herself for her surprise. _Of course it's warm, idiot. The entire fucking town's on FIRE._ With that thought out of the way, she continued onward, dogging Hadvar's heels until suddenly he stopped and growled. As he did so, Elsa noticed that Ralof and Ulfric were nearby and had also stopped.

"Ralof, you damn traitor! I should have your head!"

"You can't stop us Hadvar," came the response. "We are leaving, and you have more important things to do."

Hadvar's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed dangerously, but then he sighed.

"Fine then. Get out of here Ralof. I hope the dragon gets you and sends you to Oblivion!"

He turned to Elsa. "Follow me Milady, do not trust yourself to these flea-ridden traitors."

Ralof looked at her as well. "Follow us lass, we are the true sons of Skyrim."

Without another word, both men started leaving. Elsa froze for a split second, but on a whim followed Hadvar, reasoning that he had been polite and caring thus far. As she followed him through the door into what looked like part of a fort, he glanced back and smiled at her.

"Glad to see you made the right decision Milady," he said. He looked at her and blushed, then gestured to a chest. "You might be able to find something to wear in there. The armor probably will not fit you, but there should be a shirt of some kind. Even that would be better than nothing, yes?"

Elsa nodded emphatically, then went to the chest and rooted around in it. She let out a small cry of triumph as she found a shirt that she immediately put on. Once she was wearing it, she felt enormously better, especially since it must have belonged to a tall man, as the shirt fell to mid-thigh on her. She turned back towards Hadvar, and was surprised to see him holding a mace out to her.

"I believe you should take this Milady. You never know when you'll need it. Although I suppose you don't really know how to use one, do you?"

Elsa shook her head mutely, but took the mace and belt that she just noticed was attached to it. As she put the belt on and tightened it around her waist, Hadvar spoke to her again.

"Very well, I will give you a quick rundown on how to hold and care for it. But it will have to be short, and we have to move soon."

Elsa again nodded, and listened intently as Hadvar ran through the use and maintenance of the major types of weaponry and as much as he knew about armor. While he was teaching her, they slowly made their way through the fort. All of a sudden Hadvar stopped talking and gestured at her to keep silent. He slowly made his way up to an iron gate and peered in. He then crept back to Elsa and whispered to her.

"There are three Stormcloaks in the room ahead. If we are lucky, we will get through without bloodshed. Just in case, be prepared to use what I just taught you."

Elsa nodded nervously, throat bobbing a bit as she swallowed. _On the plus side,_ she thought, _it really doesn't get simpler than "hit them with the heavy bit." _With that piece of encouragement, she followed Hadvar as he approached the room. When he entered, all three Stormcloaks turned to them, and as one raised their weapons.

"Death to the Empire and its dogs!" One cried out, charging at Elsa.

Without thinking, Elsa took her mace in both hands and swung it at the charging Stormcloak. Surprised at the actions of the shrimp of a girl, the Stormcloak did not block the blow in time. As the mace hit his arm, the bone snapped like so much kindling. The Stormcloak screamed in agony as his arm _bent_ and the bone erupted from under the skin, jagged flakes flying off. Without hesitation, Elsa swung again, just as the Stormcloak began to cradle his arm to his chest. This time, the mace impacted his ribs, and although the blow was negated somewhat by his armor, it was not intended to stop such a weapon completely.

Rather than dying instantly, the Stormcloak was knocked back, ribs cracking under the blow as he suddenly had difficulty breathing. He stared down at his ruined arm and chest, before looking up at Elsa and meeting her eyes just as she swung one final time, hitting him on his unarmored head. With a sickening _crunch_, the mace embedded itself in his face, blood and brain matter oozing from the wound as the bones gave way unwilling, splintering and deforming his face. Elsa ripped the mace from his head and swung at him again, breath coming out in sobbing gasps as tears flew from her eyes. Again and again she beat at the dead Stormcloak, until she let the mace fall from her nerveless, rubbery hands and collapsed in front of him, sobbing.

As she fell to her knees, she noticed what she had done to the man she never knew, and the stench of blood and death hit her full force. She turned to the side and fell forward until she was on her hands and knees. With that, all the bile she had been holding in since Lokir's death came flying up, and she was powerless to stop it. She vomited next to the corpse of the first person, first _thing_ she had killed. And she kept throwing up, until long after her stomach had emptied itself, and she was just heaving and crying.

When Elsa eventually regained control of herself, she sat up and wiped her mouth, and noticed Hadvar a distance away, leaning against the wall, giving her some space. She also saw the bodies of the two other Stormcloaks, blood pooling from their wounds. She got up and stood on shaky legs.

"S-s-sorry," she stuttered awkwardly.

"Think nothing of it," he replied. "The first kill is always the hardest. Some think it is better to never lose the feeling of horror. But now we should probably get moving."

Elsa nodded and bent to retrieve her mace. When she saw the blood, bone and bits of hair stuck to it however, she reeled back and almost started heaving again. Hadvar noticed her reaction, walked over and wordlessly handed her an ax from a fallen Stormcloak.

"Thank you," she whispered.

In response, he gave her a small smile and walked over to the other door, checking beyond it before gesturing to her. Wordlessly, they went down the stairs the found beyond the door. After a few minutes of walking, Hadvar cursed and turned towards another doorway. Looking up from her feet, Elsa saw why. The way ahead had collapsed, probably due to the dragon's relentless assault. They walked quietly through a series of side rooms and as they approached yet more stairs, Elsa heard a strange crackling and the less strange sound of metal striking metal.

With a glance at Hadvar, they both rushed down the stairs and into the fray they had heard. Three more Stormcloaks were fighting two robed men, one of whom was shooting lightning from his hands. Elsa marveled at the sight for a second, and then got behind a Stormcloak who had yet to notice her entrance. With nary a sound she swung her ax at his neck, closing her eyes just before impact. Sadly, this did not stop the sound from reaching her ears, or the impact from traveling up her arms. She opened her eyes upon hearing a thud, and found that she had mostly definitely slain the man, as her blow had bitten into his vertebrae, likely killing him instantly. She pulled the ax out and turned to the next foe.

This one was aware of the new threats and sized them up while his companion continued to engage the two robed men. His eyes focused on Elsa and he came at her, swinging his ax in a blow that would have cut her stomach wide open. Desperately, she blocked, the sound of the impact ringing in her ears, and the force of it traveling up her arms, numbing them for a second. She swung at him, but he danced back while grinning at her. His eyes then darted to Hadvar, keeping note of his position. They exchanged a couple more blows, and Elsa was noticeably flagging, her inexperience showing. With a wolfish grin, the Stormcloak began battering at her defenses furiously, driving her back until she hit a wall. Looking at him, she knew that her time was at an end, she could not defeat this man.

Just as he was about to swing one last time and kill her, his eyes widened and a sword erupted from his chest. As he dropped his ax and grasped at the sword for a second or two before his strength and life fled, Hadvar kicked him off his sword and spat on the corpse.

"Never focus entirely on one enemy," he said. "Amateur mistakes like that will cost you dearly."

He grinned at Elsa and offered her a small bow.

"Milady, that was the last of them."

He gestured beyond himself, and she saw that he was right. Hadvar then strode towards the older of the two robed men and began conversing with him. Elsa looked around, and could immediately tell this was not a nice room. Sharp, cruel instruments lined the walls, and the cages she just noticed had dead men in them. Upon inspection, she saw that one of them was wearing a robe, and another had what looked like a faintly glowing book. She walked over and gave the door a tug, but it was locked tight.

Elsa felt a tap on her shoulder, and whirled around, raising her ax instinctively. She blushed in embarrassment as she saw it was just the younger man, probably a torturer she thought. He fell back a step and then, after seeing she wasn't going to strike him down, handed her a few small bits of metal. She looked at them curiously, and arched a questioning eyebrow at him.

"They're lockpicks," he explained. "Here, let me show you how to use them.

Elsa paid close attention as he demonstrated how to use them, on the cage with nothing of use inside, Elsa noted absently. He then gave them to her and told her to try it. Elsa noted that although he wasn't being _too_ obvious about it, his gaze definitely fell to her legs regularly. It was then that she noticed that her shirt was covered in blood, although surprisingly, none of it was hers.

With that in mind, Elsa strode over to the cage with the robed man in it, and knelt in front of the door. With awkward movements, she pulled out a lockpick and set to work. To her immense surprise, the lock clicked open without too much fuss. She pulled the door open after putting the lockpick away and went to the figure inside. Pushing down her revulsion at what she was about to do, she stripped the robe off the man and pulled off her shirt, the partially dried blood making it stick to her a bit. She made sure to be facing the wall. _No need to give him a show,_ she thought, before thinking ruefully, _of course there's not much I can do about my back._ Spurred by her thoughts, Elsa quickly threw the shirt away, noticing that some blood had leaked through, and she would have to clean herself at some point. Filing that thought away for later, she hurriedly pulled on the robe and was pleasantly surprised that it was quite soft. She left the cage and went to the last one. As she again pulled out the lockpicks and managed to open the door, the young torturer sighed sadly.

Elsa smirked and giggled to herself, then focused back on her task. With a click, the lock disengaged and she pulled the door open. She bent and picked up the book, a small shock of energy rushed up her arms as she touched it. Curiously, she examined the cover, which was only adorned with a strange symbol, almost like a stylized fire. She opened the book and saw writing in a language she was not familiar with. But as she looked at it, the words appeared to shift and move, the faint glow about the book focusing into the words, growing brighter and brighter. Just before it reached painful levels, the glow reached towards Elsa, still in the shape of the words. She threw her head back as they touched her and her mind was filled with knowledge and strange power. After all the glowing words had reached her, the aura faded completely and she dropped the book, looking at her hands. A thrumming power coursed down her arms and she extended her hands to the wall, and watched in awe as lightning blasted from her palms, striking the wall and charring it a bit. She then noticed that upon leaving her hands, the book had turned to ash.

Elsa smiled, turning her hands over and looking at them. She then frowned a bit. Just with that single blast, she could tell that her innate powers were vastly different from the spell she now had. However, she could not quite put her finger on exactly _how_ it was different, and that bugged her. She shrugged, filing the thought away, and walked over to Hadvar. As she approached, he threw up his hands and stalked away from the older torturer. He spotted Elsa and gestured with his head at the man behind him.

"He insists on staying put. Looks like we are on our own still Milady. Come, there's a series of caverns we should be able to enter. With any luck, there will be a way out."

Elsa nodded, making sure her ax was ready. This time, however, she only held it in one hand, keeping the other free in case she saw an opportunity to use her magic. She thought for a moment about letting her power go, but quickly discarded that idea, as she still had little control over it. As she walked, she realized that despite her fear and the struggles she had been in, her ice magic had not manifested itself since before the cart ride. As if just thinking about it brought it to the fore, her ax handle glistened as ice started creeping up it. Right away, she pushed all thoughts of ice from her mind.

"Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel," she repeated quietly enough so Hadvar wouldn't hear.

Down a hallway they went, and as they approached the door at the end, they heard rough voices. Hadvar gave Elsa a look and she nodded, readying her weapon. They charged into the room, Hadvar bellowing a challenge. Their sudden appearance shocked the group of Stormcloaks, who had barely enough time to register their arrival before Elsa and Hadvar were upon them.

Hadvar swung and sliced deeply into the chest of the nearest Stormcloak, sharpened sword easily parting the leather that protected him. Elsa swung her ax at another, who jerked back instinctively. In response, Elsa extended her left hand, and called forth her newfound magic. Lightning once again crackled from her palm, striking the female Stormcloak in the face. She spasmed and shrieked in pain as the concentrated electricity danced over her skin. Elsa scowled in concentration as she kept up the assault. As lightning continued to dance over the Stormcloak, her skin began to bubble and her eyes soon popped like rotten grapes. Elsa turned her head, fighting down another bout of heaving, then strode forward and swung her ax, ending the woman's suffering.

All this had happened in the space of barely a few seconds. As both Hadvar and Elsa turned to the remaining two Stormcloaks, both finally managed to overcome the shock of two of their comrades being cut down, and drew their weapons. Hadvar and Elsa once again charged their foes, only this time the enemy met them head-on. Elsa let her focus on Hadvar dwindle as her foe, a hulking brute of a man, wielding a massive greatsword charged at her. She waited until he committed to a swing, then danced back, then dropped her ax in favor of shooting lightning from both her hands, snarling silently as it danced over the man, who arched his back as the power slammed into him, eyes and mouth wide-open in a silent scream. Elsa continued to shock him until she could no longer sustain the spell, dropping her hands and watching her former foe drop to the ground the instant his muscles unlocked. She then picked up her ax, and saw that Hadvar could not get past his foe's defense. She thought for a second, then yelled at the Stormcloak.

"Watch out!"

He turned to look at her and cursed as he saw her ax flying towards him. He just barely got his sword in place to deflect it, but in the process forgot Hadvar, who darted in and swung at his neck, his sword biting deeply before he wrenched it out. In the same motion, Hadvar circled the sword around his head and cleaved into the Stormcloak's neck again. This time, the combination of the momentum of the sword and the previous wound was enough to let Hadvar take his head off completely. The severed head fell to the ground, followed by the body.

Hadvar panted a bit, before walking over to Elsa's ax and handing it to her.

"Thanks," he said simply.

Elsa smiled at him and nodded. Hadvar jerked his head to the entrance to the caverns and silently they walked towards it. Elsa saw that there was a raised bridge blocking the path, and in the same instant she saw a lever that probably controlled the bridge. She went over and pulled on it. It gave way slowly, unwillingly, but it did give way. The bridge fell with a crash and Hadvar and Elsa strode across it, into a natural cavern.

They continued walking without any inconvenience, aside from Elsa slipping and almost falling a few times. They reached another tunnel, this one sloping downward. Without a word, they went through it, around a bend. As soon as they rounded the bend, Hadvar staggered and clutched at his ear as Elsa let out a scream of pure, undiluted horror at what lay before them.

Her second greatest fear was between her and freedom.


	2. Chapter 2

Alkazarian Emperor's note:

So, if you're reading this right now, I'm actually surprised. I wonder how many people saw the trigger warnings last chapter and backed out before reading the fic? Now to get the boring shit out of the way: _**Neither Umbra nor I own Frozen or the Elder Scrolls series. They belong to their respective owners and we make ABSOLUTLY NO PROFIT from doing this. **_Now that that's out of the way, thank you for reading this. When Umbra and I sat down and started to brainstorm this fic, he didn't think it would be popular. Mostly because it went something along the lines of : "Hey Umbra, I was playing Skyrim the other day and decided 'Fuck it, I'll make Elsa!' so I made her." It basically snowballed from there into this. In fact, as of this point, we've got a rough estimate of where we want to go. Holy shit I've rambled way too much, so I'll let Umbra take over. You guys wanna read the damn fic already, so please Review when you're done! ^_^

Legatus Umbra's note:

Howdy again everyone. I'm actually rather blown away by the reception so far. To everyone who has fav'ed or followed this story, or hell, even bothered to view this, thank you all so much! I haven't written anything in over half a decade now, so to have any response at all is phenomenal, let alone positive response! Anyways, enough of the gushing. From here on, I won't be posting trigger warnings, content warnings, or disclaimers unless something new pops up. If you need a refresher, consult the first chapter's note. If you feel it's worth it, please read and review! If anyone is interested in a little behind-the-scenes working of this, the paragraph below this one gives some details. Otherwise, thank you for your patronage, and I hope you enjoy the second chapter of Unbroken!

So, a bit of background for this story. As the Emperor said up there ^, this all started when he randomly decided to make Elsa in Skyrim. Originally I was just going to be the idea guy, but you see how that ended up. During the initial brainstorming, we had to get Elsa unconscious so she can wake up in the cart. As a solution to this, we made Elsa slightly less godlike, in that her nigh-infinite powers take a huge toll on her, hence why she passed out after freezing Arendelle. This became one of my limitations imposed by the Emperor, along with Elsa never having sung Let It Go. Note that this will happen later on, and in a similar vein, the exhaustion brought on by her ice powers will fade over time as she trains with them more. So if anyone is upset that her powers have a limit, not to worry, she'll be capable of freezing entire countries with absolutely no effort soon enough. That's it for now, but unless I get massive amounts of flak for explaining how the setting and writing works, these infodumps will happen occasionally, depending on if there's anything I feel should be addressed, or might be interesting. Well, enough rambling, here is the second chapter of Unbroken!

Chapter Two

Anna shivered as the biting cold nipped at her exposed shoulders, then blew out a breath in slight exasperation. _Elsa, where could you have gone?_ Directly after having this thought, she was momentarily distracted by the plumes of fog that her breath caused. After having some fun with this for several minutes, she got bored and her ruminations went straight back to Elsa. _Oh Elsa, please be okay... I'll find you no matter where you go. I'll set things right, and we can be together again. Just you and me..._ She frowned for a moment, thinking about how she had driven Elsa away.

As if it was happening before her eyes, she could see the scene play out, as she had countless times in just the few hours since. How she had begged Elsa to accept her betrothal to Prince Hans of The Southern Isles, how Elsa flatly refused because what does a stupid, flighty girl like Anna know about true love. And then the heart-breaking pain in Elsa's voice as Anna tried so hard not to cry and told her she couldn't live alone anymore, not like the previous years. After Elsa had told her to leave if she couldn't, Anna had flipped out, grabbing her glove and not giving it back, shouting at Elsa, demanding to know what she was so afraid of.

Then Elsa's anger. And her secret, _holy shit Elsa had magic,_ how did Anna not know that?! Of course, that secret was revealed by a fan of rather nasty looking icicles. _Seriously, MAGIC?!_ Even now, despite the fact she had been trudging through the proof ever since her horse had gotten spooked,  
>Anna could barely comprehend that. <em>To be fair,<em> she thought, _even before my horse ran off, I suppose we were still traveling through the proof, just he had been doing all the work._

Almost as if reprimanding her for her occasionally scatterbrained thoughts, Anna's mind brought her back to last night. How Hans stood with her and how Weaseltown had the sheer gall to rant about Elsa, before almost turning on Anna. And finally, her insistence that she ride out to find Elsa.

_Of course I insisted, it's _Elsa. _She's my sister, and I love her so much. Even if I've barely seen her for years – I wonder why she hid herself away. Was it my fault, did I do something to drive her away from me for all these years? But that wouldn't make much sense, she was willing to talk to me during the party. Ohhhhh gods, her voice was so beautiful, like bells and snowfall and chocolate and – ooohhhhhh chocolate, mmmmmmmm... And then her laugh, hoo boy, there aren't words to describe that laugh. It kinda tingled. Wait, what?_

Anna quickly shook that particular branch of thought off before she went too far. So instead, her imagination treated her to mental images of how Elsa had looked, with the clinging dress, the black and dark turquoise a thrilling contrast to her pale skin, and her skintight gloves that drew Anna's attention to her long, elegant fingers. And of course, Elsa's glittering crown and rich purple cloak that looked so warm and soft. Speaking of soft, Elsa's hair looked like it would be glorious to run your fingers through, even though it was in a tight bun. Anna spent a moment wondering what it would look like down, which led to her imagining it rumpled, which in turn led to a small giggle as she pictured her gorgeous, elegant, composed sister with bedhead like her own.

From there, her mind jumped, well, more like hopped a few inches, over to Elsa's face. How her cheeks were lightly coated with just enough make-up. _Not that she needs it,_ Anna's inner monologue interrupted. _I mean, seriously, she's so hopelessly gorgeous that she doesn't need any at all. Although her lipstick kind of drew the eyes... Nope! Nope nope nope! Not going there right now! Focus on something else Anna. Ooh, how about those adorable, barely there freckles? They're sooo cute. Not like mine at all._

Anna looked down her nose, trying to see her own, much more prevalent and obvious and, in her mind, much less attractive freckles. After failing to manage this feat, she gave up and just sent her gaze to her shoulders, which were heavily coated with the offending spots, and let her chin and eyes fall to her breasts, the tops of which were dusted with them as well. They weren't like Elsa's at all. Hers were so much more subtle, just a light splatter across her nose and cheeks.

_Although..._ Anna found her mind headed irretrievably down to her sister's breasts. _I wonder if she _does _have freckles down there, and what they look like. And feel like. They're probably soft and a bit chilly to touch, and as pale as the rest of Elsa's fantastic skin, and oooooooh, just think of touching and squeezing them, and the sounds she would make..._

So caught up was Anna in her now-unashamedly lascivious thoughts, that she failed to notice the slight line of drool that trailed slowly down her chin, as well as the minor matter of a sudden drop in the hill she was climbing. With a quick drop and sudden squawk of surprise, Anna rolled rapidly down the hill, going head-over-heels, but thankfully landing on her rump.

Anna let out another cry of surprise, this time because she discovered, much to her dismay, that at the bottom of the hill was a stream, which she was now sitting in. Not being as clueless as she appeared, and having grown up in a northern country with a cold climate, she knew she had to get out of the stream, and out of her wet clothes immediately. As she struggled upright and took a step, her foot slipped on a stone and she fell forward. Whether due to her throwing her hands out in front of her, or just plain luck, Anna managed to avoid injuring herself, but now the top half of her dress was soaked as well. She crawled and flailed her way out of the stream, casting a dark look back at it as she left.

"How the hell are you not frozen anyway?" She inquired of it. A gust of wind blowing past her distracted her from interrogating the malicious waterway as she shivered violently. She then noticed a slight glow from a ways on, and reasoned that maybe it was a fire!

Anna rather quickly discovered a major problem with having a soaking dress in winter. This was that it clung to her otherwise bare legs, chilling them even more, and that it was starting to freeze on her, though thankfully her body temperature was enough to keep it from doing so. Mostly. Spurred on by this discovery, she hurried towards the glow in the trees. After a few minutes of dragging her half-soggy, half-freezing butt through almost waist-high snow – "cold, cold, cold," she muttered under her breath – she found herself before a decently-large building with a snow-covered sign hanging from it.

She reached up to knock the snow off the sign, but had to do a little hop to get to it. After she had done so, she read the slightly swinging sign aloud.

"Wandering Oaken's Trading Post. Ooh, and sauna," she added after a smaller sign she hadn't noticed divested itself of snow as it and its parent sign swung back and forth.

Anna stepped onto the porch of the trading post, frozen skirt giving way with an audible creaking and pulled the door open. She was greeted by the oh-so-welcome sensation of warmth and the mild chiming of a small bell attached to the door. As she cautiously entered the store and closed the door tightly, she was greeted by an unfamiliar voice, which she looked over at.

"Hoo hoo! Big summer blowout! Half off swimsuits, clogs, and a sun balm of my own invention, ja?" This sales pitch, spoken in an odd but pleasant accent, came from a very broad-chested man behind the counter.

Anna paused for a couple seconds, just taking the man in. He wore a very comfy, if rather oddly colored, shirt that looked fuzzy, and had long, blond sideburns that connected to his mustache, all topped by a similar hat. And holy crap, his shoulders were practically half as wide as Anna was tall. But he seemed so friendly, just smiling brightly at Anna as she looked at him. Anna shook her head slightly in order to focus on what the man, Oaken, presumably, had said.

"Oh," she said after what felt like an eternity, but truly was just a handful of seconds. "How about boots? Winter boots, and dresses?" As she said this she shivered again, and felt the ice from her dress melting and sliding down her legs, sending goosebumps up them.

"That would be in our winter department," Oaken replied, his accent making it sound like he said "vinter." As he replied, he gestured to a small corner of the post, where some rope, an ice pick, some folded up clothes, a pair of sturdy, yet pretty, boots, and a pair of snow shoes resided. As Anna looked over, one of the snow shoes fell over with a quiet thunk, adding an air of abandonment to the scene.

Anna walked over and picked up the clothing, discovering it to be a heavy winter dress and a surprisingly soft and warm cloak, pair of mittens and bonnet. She also grabbed the boots, as she just noticed that her ballroom dancing shoes must had fallen off in the snow somewhere. As she brought these back to the counter, she decided to try her luck with questioning Oaken.

"So, I was just wondering. Has another young woman, the Queen, perhaps, been through here?" Anna asked, somehow managing not to add loving details of said queen to her question, despite it being at the front of her mind again.

"Only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you dear," Oaken replied cheerfully, just as the door swung open again, admitting a gust of icy wind that skittered across the floor, as well as letting in what looked like a man made of snow. As the figure looked up and revealed his winter-whitened skin and brown eyes, Anna berated herself for being silly. _Of course he's covered in snow, _she thought, _look at it out!_

She was torn from her thoughts of the stranger (_My, he's rather rugged and intimidating,_) by Oaken. "You and this fellow. Hoo hoo, big summer blowout!"

Rather than answering, the snow-covered figure just walked up to Anna and loomed over her. As she leaned back against the counter and avoided his gaze, he leaned close to her, and in a voice muffled by his scarf, spoke to her.

"Carrots."

"Huh?" Came Anna's intelligent reply.

"Carrots," the man stated again, leaning closer. "Behind you."

Anna looked down and behind herself and saw a bag of carrots. Hurriedly moving, she apologized for being in the man's way. Without even a glance or any form of acknowledgment, he picked up the bag of carrots, tossed them on the counter and mutely walked over to the "winter department," where he started picking up the rope and ice pick.

Oaken apparently had had enough of the silence, and cheerfully engaged the stranger in conversation. "Boy, a real howler in July, ja? Wherever could it be coming from?"

Without looking at him, the snow-clad stranger answered. "The North Mountain. Or thereabout. Hard to tell sometimes." He then placed the items he had collected on the counter and looked at Oaken.

Oaken looked at the items and back up at the man in front of him. "That'll be forty."

"What? Forty? No, ten."

"Oh dear, that's no good. See, this is from our winter stock, where supply and demand have a big problem."

The man looked at Oaken and replied rather incredulously. "You want to talk about a supply and demand problem, I sell ice for a living." As he said this, he gestured outside with his head. Looking out the window, Anna saw a sled piled high with cubes of ice that was hooked up to a happy-looking reindeer who was gazing at the building.

Without thinking, or really her conscious decision to speak, Anna's mouth started going off. "Hoo boy, that's a rough business to be in right now. I mean, really-"

The man silently gave her a look, and suddenly Anna wanted very much to crawl into a hole and hide. But she stood her ground, murmuring "I'm sorry," before the stranger looked back at Oaken.

Oaken shrugged and stated "Still forty, but I will add a visit to Oaken's sauna." With this, he turned to look at another door further in the shop. "Hoo hoo, hi family!"

Anna and the stranger looked over, and saw a group of people waving back at Oaken, and could hear them replying "Hoo hoo!"

"Ten's all I got. Help me out, please," the man said to the shopkeeper after turning back to him.

Oaken separated the carrots from the rope and ice pick and gestured to the carrots. "That will get you this, and no more."

Anna took this opportunity to inquire about the North Mountain. "Okay, just tell me one thing," she said the the man who was slowly becoming less snow-covered as it melted. "What was happening on the North Mountain? Did it seem... magical?"

The man finally pulled down his scarf, revealing a strong, chiseled chin and gruff, but not unattractive features. He rather looked a bit like the North Mountain and his ice. Rugged, strong and unyielding, but not without a certain beauty. "Yes," he said, glancing at Anna. "Now back off, while I deal with this crook."

There was a creaking and Anna looked over at Oaken, in time to see him stand up. _Holy gods above,_ she thought, looking up and up, _he's HUGE_. As he rose, his massive bulk blocked the light behind him, casting the stranger and Anna in shadow. To add to Anna's mild terror, the man's head practically seemed to touch the ceiling, and his voice lost every trace of good-natured cheer as he spoke quietly to the man before him. "What did you call me?'

Without another word, and moving far faster than Anna expected out of someone his size, he seized the ice harvester by the scruff of his neck, picked him up with one hand, walked calmly over to the door and tossed him out with as little effort as Anna picking up a chocolate, and a quick "Bye bye!"

As he returned to his seat, his former good mood seemed to magically reassert itself. "I apologize for this violence," he told Anna. "I will add a quart of lutefisk so there are no hard feelings. Just the outfit and the boots, ja?"

Anna paused and looked thoughtfully at the supplies the ice seller had been looking to buy. In a flash of inspiration, she moved them to her pile as well. "Actually, would it be possible to get these as well?'

"Of course dear," Oaken said. As he told Anna the total cost, she realized she didn't have any money on her.

"Umm, this is probably a lot to ask, but would you accept my necklace and dress as payment?" She almost stuttered nervously, but managed to hide it under a royal visage. Just like Elsa, she thought. Cool, calm and completely in control.

Oaken examined the necklace after Anna gave it to him, and praised its craftsmanship. "A very pretty necklace, ja. This is an acceptable trade. Thank you for your business." He then showed Anna where she could change, after which she left his establishment with a wave to both Oaken and his family.

She looked around, trying to figure out where the odd ice harvester had gone, and her eyes immediately found his sled by a shed nearby. As she walked closer, she heard the sound of a lute being plucked, and could then make out words crooned quietly.

_Reindeers are better than people, Sven don't you think that's true?_

_Yeah people will beat you, and curse you, and cheat you, every one of them's bad, except you._

_Aw, thanks buddy. But people smell better than reindeers. Sven, don't you think I'm riiiiight?_

_That's once again true, for all except you._

_You got me, let's call it a niiiight._

_Goodniiight._

_Don't let the frostbite biiiiiiite._

Anna opened the door on the last note and saw the ice harvester laying next to his reindeer, with his cap over his eyes. As she shut the door, she decided to comment on his singing. "Nice duet," she said as she turned around to face him.

He jerked upright and then flopped back down upon seeing it was her. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"I want you to take me up the North Mountain," Anna replied, looking down at him.

He placed his cap back over his eyes while informing her "I don't take people places."

Anna tossed him the rope and ice pick, but misjudged her throw, which seemed to land directly on his crotch, judging from the fact he let out a pained oof and jackknifed upright again. "Let me rephrase that," she said imperiously, standing tall and proud. "Take me up the North Mountain."

The ice harvester looked up at her, unnerved by her sudden change in demeanor. He picked up the rope and ice pick, looking them over before laying back down.

"We leave in the morning," he replied. "And you forgot the carrots for Sven."

The next thing he knew, a solid bag hit him full on the side of the head. As he oofed again, Anna started to stammer. "Oh my gosh, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to." Within a split second after saying that, she cleared her throat and regained her haughty attitude. "Now. We leave now. Right now." With that said, she marched out of the shed and leaned against the door the instant she was out of sight, exhaling in a quiet puff of nerves.

A while later, Anna was sitting in Kristoff's sled and enjoying the speed at which they traveled. _I feel better knowing his name now_, Anna thought_. Being able to call him something than "ice harvester" is a lot friendlier._ She let out a small whoop of excitement as Kristoff and Sven sped up.

In response, Kristoff glanced at her. "Watch out, we like to go fast."

Anna propped her feet up on the sled's front and leaned back, clasping her mittened hands behind her head as she reveled in the speed and warmth. "I like fast," she replied happily.

Kristoff took his eyes off where they were going and pushed her feet down. "Whoa whoa whoa, keep your feet down, this is fresh lacquer. Seriously, were you raised in a barn?" As a counterpoint to his accusation, he spat at the spot where Anna's feet had been. Unfortunately, due to the speed at which they were traveling, the spit flew right into Anna's face, splattering so that some hit her eye. As she grimaced and wiped it off, she told him, "No, I was raised in a castle."

As they sped onward, Kristoff actually engaged Anna in conversation willingly.

"So, uh, tell me," he said to her. "What made the queen go all ice-crazy?"

"Oh." Anna replied. "Well, you see, it was all my fault. I got engaged to a guy, but then she freaked out because I had just met him, you know, that day. And she said she wouldn't bless the marriage. And -"

"Wait," Kristoff interrupted. "You got engaged to someone you just met that day?"

"Yeah, anyway I got mad, and then she got mad and she tried to walk away and I grabbed her glove and-"

"Hang on." Kristoff interrupted Anna again, and this time she was a bit annoyed, especially at the incredulous tone he had. "You mean to tell me you got _engaged to someone you just met that day?!"_

"Yes," Anna replied, annoyance showing slightly. "Pay attention. Now the thing is she wore the gloves all the time, so I thought 'maybe she just has a thing about dirt.'"

Kristoff interrupted her for a third time in less than a minute. "Didn't your parents warn you about strangers?"

Anna looked him up and down and slowly slid away from him. "Yeeeees, they did," she said just as slowly. She then crossed her arms. "But she- er, Hans is not a stranger."

Kristoff blinked at the slip, but didn't draw attention to it. Instead, he rolled his eyes and said to Anna, "Oh really? What's his last name?"

Anna rolled her eyes as well, and said slowly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world " Aren- Of the Southern Isles, duh." This time she was hard-pressed not to slam her face against the front of the sled in exasperation at herself. _Gee Anna, _she thought snidely, _why don't you just tell EVERYONE what you really think. After all, you've practically said it already. Stupid stupid stupid girl._

So absorbed was she in berating herself that she almost missed Kristoff's next question. "What's his favorite food."

Right off the bat, Anna replied "Sandwiches," thinking back to the song they had sung.

"Best friend's name?"

"Probably John."

"Eye color?"

"Dreamy," Anna breathed in a completely different, fluttering voice, a dopey smile spreading over her face as she pictured Elsa's eyes, crinkling with laughter as they talked about the Duke of Weaseltown. "Oh, they're sooo dreamy, just like the rest of her." She didn't even realize she had spoken out loud, and Kristoff just ignored it as pieces began to fall into place in his mind.

"Foot size," he asked after giving Anna a second or two.

"Foot size doesn't matter," Anna replied.

"Have you had a meal with him yet?" Kristoff asked her. "What if you hate the way he eats? What if you hate the way he picks his nose?"

Anna looked at him, thoroughly disgusted. "Picks his nose?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"And _eats_ it," Kristoff replied smugly.

"Excuse me SIR, she is a princess." Anna promptly realized what she has just said. "I-I-I-I mean..."

Kristoff looked over at her and said gently "Anna, I know you're lying about Hans. I'm not going to judge you, I have friends who are love experts. Tell me, and maybe we can help."

Anna just looked at him for a moment, trying hard not to cry as tears welled up. In the end she was unable to hold back the flood of sadness and she collapsed in on herself, sobs wracking her thin frame. As Kristoff reached out to give her some comfort, she shied away from him as much as the sled would allow. Without a word, Kristoff simply placed his hand on hers and waited until she was ready. He felt a pang of guilt in his heart as tears and snot poured down Anna's face as she sobbed uncontrollably, for he was the one who brought it to the fore. He waited for several long minutes, the only sound permeating the air being Sven's breathing and Anna's weeping, which slowly died down to sniffles. Kristoff silently handed Anna a scrap of cloth to clean herself with, which she accepted with a slight hiccup. After she had wiped her face clean, she looked down at her lap and twisted her hands together, before saying quietly.

"It's Elsa... I'm in love with Elsa..."

When Kristoff didn't immediately reply, Anna teared up again, but forced herself to say the words she needed to get off her chest.

"I've always loved her, ever since I can remember. She's so beautiful and regal, like a storybook character. And although she tries to hide it, she's so kind and gentle. She hides behind an icy demeanor, like a closed door. Actually, she's really fond of those too... But if you pay attention, her eyes can light up, and when she smiles, it's like the sun breaking through a sea of murderous clouds, and just with a single flash of teeth, you know everything is going to be okay, because Elsa's here. She's also super smart. Not like me at all. I'm lazy and goofy and completely ordinary. I'm the world's largest klutz and I was always more apt to fall asleep instead of studying. But Elsa?"

Anna gave a small grin as she talked about Elsa.

"Elsa loved studying. I heard a servant say once that her tutor had never seen anyone with her love and talent for geometry. And I swear she must have read every book we had in the castle."

Anna's face fell again.

"And then there's me, the sick, twisted freak who loves her sister. Just being attracted to any old girl would be bad enough, a stain on the family's name. But when that girl happens to be a blood relative? ESPECIALLY a sibling? I'm sick, and wrong, and I don't deserve a happy ending. And I hate myself because every time I so much as catch a glimpse of Elsa, I'm overcome by the _need_ to be close to her again. Everything reminds me of her, and that I can never, ever have her. She'll marry a prince and bear his children, and meanwhile, I'll sit back, watching someone else laugh with her and cuddle her and love MY Elsa. Except she isn't mine... and she never will be."

Anna curled in on herself again, tears falling lightly as she admitted her feelings. She shook them away and looked everywhere but at Kristoff.

"And then I met Hans. He was so kind and polite, but also kind of awkward, like me. So I told myself I loved him, that it was true love. Anything at all that I needed to tell myself, just so that the yawning chasm in my heart where Elsa lives but can never touch is filled with _something._ Even though it was a lie, at least I wasn't alone. And then Elsa ruined it by being so amazing and sweet. We're so much alike, yet so different. Her freckles are almost invisible unless you know they're there. And her laughter, nothing the gods could ever make will ever be that sweet and delightful. And then she told me I didn't know anything about love."

Anna hung her head and shook it slightly.

"She said that to ME. The one of us who has always, ALWAYS known what love is, because it makes my heart beat faster when she's around. Love is what gave me the strength, day after day, week after endless week, for years, to knock on her door and beg her to let me in. And I got so hurt and so angry by this, that I flipped out. And Elsa ended up running from me because I made her reveal her secret, and it's my fault she got called a monster. Now I have to find her, and tell her I'm sorry and that I love HER, not some smelly, itchy man. I don't care if she doesn't return my feelings, I just want my sister back safe and sound."

Anna finally looked up at Kristoff, and found him gazing at her with sorrow in his eyes. He squeezed her hand gently, and spoke just a few short words to her.

"We'll find your sister Anna. Somehow, we'll find her and the two of you can be together forever. I know true love when I see it, and it was shining in your eyes clear as day."

He gave her a gentle smile, which was promptly wiped off his face as he and Sven looked around hurriedly. Anna looked as well, curious as to what could cause that reaction, and saw glowing pinpricks of light coming up from behind them and at there sides. Kristoff spoke urgently, but quietly to Sven.

"Sven, run. Now."

Just like that, Sven took off running, and Anna had to ask.

"What are they?"

"Wolves," Kristoff replied shortly. "And with this weather, they'll be hungry and mean."

As he spoke, a bloodcurdling hunting howl sounded from behind them. Anna looked, and with the light of the moon and Kristoff's lantern, saw great, shaggy beasts running after them, yellowed teeth flashing and hungry eyes glowing. With a spasm of fear, she saw that they were quickly gaining on the sled. Kristoff pulled out and lit a torch and then shortly had to kick a wolf away as it leaped at him. The creature's slightly pained yowling echoed in the night, and seemed to spur the others on. Kristoff spun in his seat and smacked another wolf with the torch, singeing its fur and causing it to snarl angrily.

Without thinking, Anna grabbed the nearest solid object she could lay her hands on and swung out with it, noticing as she did so that she had grabbed Kristoff's lute.

"Watch out!" she yelled.

Kristoff ducked without questioning, and Anna hit a wolf, sending it flying into a tree with a sickening crack. As it fell the the ground, Anna saw blood, and then lost sight of the wolf as it did not rise again. The two fought bravely, and Sven ran ever-onwards.

Without warning, just as they were getting a breather, a wolf lunged up and grabbed Kristoff's sleeve, dragging him down. Thankfully, he managed to grab a rope trailing from the sled, but the wolves were snapping at him. Anna looked around, but all she had was the torch and Kristoff's bedding. In a spark of inspiration, Anna set fire to the bedding and threw it at the wolves clustered around Kristoff, driving them back.

Kristoff yelped as the flaming makeshift projectile almost hit him.

"You almost set me on fire!"

"But I didn't," responded Anna as she helped pull him back up to the sled.

They both looked up as Sven made a worried grunt, and all three of them saw a cliff before them. Thinking quickly, Anna looked at Sven.

"Get ready to jump Sven!"

Kristoff picked her up and threw her onto Sven's back. "You don't tell him what to do, I do!"

With those words, Kristoff cut the lines connecting Sven to the sled.

"Jump Sven!" He yelled.

As Sven reached the cliff, he pushed off with his powerful legs, bounding forward and clearing the gap without issue. Kristoff jumped off the sled as it flew off the cliff, impacting the snow-covered cliff on the other side face-first. He clambered up and took great gulps of air, watching as the wolves stopped at the far side of the gorge, snarling angrily as their meal escaped. He stood up on shaky legs and walked over to Anna. He clapped a hand to her shoulder wordlessly, and the three companions set out.

Kristoff quickly noticed that the chase had led them far astray, as they passed through a wood of weeping willows he didn't remember. As the three brushed past the frozen, hanging leaves, the ice on the strands tinkled merrily. Sven looked around, excited, and started jumping about, collecting a number of musical threads on his antlers as he pranced about, making them sing their sweet song.

Anna gazed around, an awed expression plain on her expressive face.

"I never knew winter could be so beautiful," she said in a hushed tone.

Kristoff smiled at her. "Just like your Elsa," he said. "Yes. Winter can be cold and merciless, and ice can be deadly, but there is great beauty to it, and not even winter is always harsh. There is light and love as well. A fitting season for your one true love."

Anna blushed at his words, and lowered her eyes to the ground. Kristoff gently took hold of her chin and raised her head up.

"Don't go hiding now," he said. "Things will work out. My friends always say that if a love is true, then it is meant to be, and no power on this earth can stop it. There is great, unknowable power in true love. And so few find it, you are truly blessed by the gods."

Anna smiled at him, and opened her mouth to thank him, when a flash of color caught her eye. She looked up in the trees, and all color drained from her face, and she suddenly had trouble breathing. She pointed wordlessly, for she had lost the capacity to form them. Kristoff looked where she was pointing, and immediately saw the object Anna had seen. And even though he had never seen it before, Anna's reaction told him it could only be one thing.

The coronation cloak of Queen Elsa Arendelle.

With a heartbroken cry that contained only raw grief, Anna fell to her knees as tears once again flowed down her cheeks. She stared up at the tree that had caught the gorgeous garment, but couldn't see it through the tears that cascaded down. As she wretchedly wailed, screaming her agony into the unfeeling, unnatural winter, Kristoff looked around, and mutely shook Anna's shoulder. When she didn't respond, he called her name, hoping it would penetrate the miasma of misery the loss of her love had brought upon her.

"Anna. Anna. I know where we are. And I think I know where Elsa went."

At the mention of her sister's name, Anna turned to him. Kristoff quickly focused on anything but the tortured gates of Hell that her eyes had become, lest he drown in them.

"We are very close to the border to Skyrim. If Elsa was running, then she might not have realized where she was, and crossed the border. And I don't pretend to know anything about magic, but running that far that fast would probably cause me to faint at least. And if that's the case, then her cloak simply could have come loose and been blown here. Or….."

Anna finished the thought for him in a voice so filled with fear that Kristoff felt a shiver try to crawl its way up his spine.

"Or someone took her. In which case, we can't get to her."

Anna stood and just breathed for a few minutes, her eyes closed and head bowed. When she opened her eyes and looked at Kristoff next, the endless, hellish pain was still there, but controlled now, bound by her royal will, and leashed so tightly she could barely feel it.

"We cannot go forward today. We lack the supplies, and Skyrim is embroiled in a civil war. We need more people."

Kristoff nodded, what she said made sense.

"What should we do Anna?"

"We go back to Arendelle. We talk to the noblemen and Hans, and we figure out what we can do. But I promise you, even if I have to tear apart the lands with my bare hands, as long as Elsa lives, I will search for her, and I will find her. She's my sister, and my love. No power on this earth can stop me."

Such was the icy determination in her voice, more terrible to behold than the howling gales and yet more brittle than an improperly cut block of ice, that Kristoff was torn between hiding from her, and embracing her. He settled on wordlessly nodding and they both turned to Sven.

With these words, the two humans and their reindeer headed back towards Arendelle, to gather what they needed, and prepare for the search for their missing queen, Anna clutching Elsa's cloak tightly to her chest.


	3. Chapter 3

Alkazarian Emperor's Note: Thank you to everyone who's reading this chapter! ^_^ You guys are awesome! So, due to the fact that it's Halloween today, we decided to give you guys a real _treat_ today. Now, a certain event in Riverwood will probably offend some people but hey, they're the ones reading it. So, I'll pass it over to Umbra so you guys can get this chapter sooner. Enjoy our Halloween Day chapter! :)

Legatus Umbra's Note: Well, did everyone enjoy seeing Anna? Don't worry, we're back to Elsa, and we'll probably stay with her for a while. I see that as of the previous chapter, we have moved from the crossover section to Frozen proper. Greetings to all the new readers, and hello loyal friends to all the old. I don't have any random information to dump, so I bid you enjoy this chapter of Unbroken. Happy Halloween everyone!

Chapter Three

As soon as they rounded the bend, Hadvar staggered and clutched at his ear as Elsa let out a scream of pure, undiluted horror at what lay before them.

Her second greatest fear was between her and freedom.

As Elsa screamed, the creatures causing her terror finished turning towards the tunnel and scurried towards them on their eight legs. For as long as Elsa could remember, she had been completely and hopelessly terrified of spiders. So of course a good half dozen waist-high specimens were confronting her. The spiders did not get more than a couple steps towards them before Elsa's power erupted outward, freed from the binding of her will by her mind-numbing terror.

The freezing energy flew in front of her, sparing Hadvar only because his stumble had put him behind Elsa. By the time he could focus on anything but the pain her scream had caused him, it was over. He spun Elsa around to face him, gripping her shoulders, and began to speak heatedly.

"What in the forges of Oblivion was that f-." His words stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes reported the sight before him, and his brain recognized the sight, and the fact that the temperature was well below freezing.

Ice coated the entire cavern they were entering, a glittering sheath at least an inch thick. His mind had barely started to grapple with that fact before he discovered the fate of the spiders that had been about to attack them. His jaw dropped as he beheld the statues of ice and frost that they had become, and he balked at the sight, for everything he knew about magic, which admittedly wasn't a terribly impressive amount, said that this couldn't be.

He looked back at Elsa, and saw that she was panting harder than a dog during the hottest day of the year, but something was off about it. It was only as he exhaled slowly while grappling with the situation that it clicked. His breath was a plume of fog, thanks to the sudden chill in the air. But this girl, this strange, pale girl, didn't cause any fog, even though she was expelling gusts of breath.

He took a step back and looked at her warily, suddenly a touch scared of her.

"What are you?" he breathed. "This is no magic I've ever seen or heard of." His eyes narrowed and he eased his sword in his scabbard. "Your breath leaves no trace despite the chill that I must assume you caused. You handle your weapon better than many recruits I've trained for weeks, yet you just picked one up today. So I say again." He stepped up to her and glared from beneath furrowed brows.

"What. Are. You?"

Elsa's breathing, which had normalized while Hadvar had been speaking, suddenly picked up again, this time out of fear, and she wrapped her arms around her waist and curled in on herself. With eyes cast down, she softly answered him.

"I'm just Elsa... I'm not a monster, but I am dangerous. I hurt... someone I love deeply a long time ago. I didn't mean to, I don't mean to hurt anyone." She looked up at him, and fear and sorrow swam in her blue orbs. "I was born with this power. And I try to control it, to hide it so that people don't fear me, and so I won't hurt people..."

She trailed off and dropped her gaze back to the floor, simply standing still as Hadvar thought about what she said. Finally, he heaved a great sigh and let the tension drain from his body, before going up to Elsa and raising her head so she looked him in the eye.

"I don't believe you're a monster. You seem too... innocent for that. Too pure. My apologies for my tone Milady, you startled me. And though I've seen you do magic I'm familiar with, that was something else. But I'm afraid I'm not qualified to explain. Perhaps you will meet someone who is. For now, let's keep moving. But first-"

He cut himself off and walked to the nearest frozen spider, drawing his sword from its scabbard and smashing the creature to messy pieces. Elsa hurriedly averted her eyes, managing not to scream or vomit again, despite both urges being present. She twitched in surprise as Hadvar touched her arm and led her through the frozen chunks of spidermeat that now lay strewn across the floor.

As they walked onward, Hadvar noticed something leaning against a wall and picked it up. It was a wooden longbow, not pretty by any means, but functional, he decided as he drew the string back a couple times to make sure it was usable. He looked up from it to see Elsa watching him curiously.

With a small smile, he handed the bow to her. "Here Milady," he said. "Never know when a bow will come in useful. I'm not particularly skilled with one myself, so you'll have to find someone else to teach you, but it's good to have just in case."

"Thank you," she murmured quietly, accepting the weapon and following his instructions on how to store it. "Should we keep moving?"

Hadvar nodded and they continued on. After about ten minutes, they rounded a corner and Hadvar dropped into a crouch, motioning Elsa to be quiet and do the same. As she looked at him, he gestured in front of them. When Elsa looked across a small stream, she saw a large mound of heavy fur.

"Bear," Hadvar whispered. "Hopefully it's in a good mood and we won't anger it. Now let's just..."

He trailed off as the mound stood up on hind legs and gave a small roar before shaking itself. As Hadvar tensed up, Elsa only had eyes for the much smaller ball of fur that was revealed. When it stood up on four shaky legs, Elsa's heart melted. The bear cub walked towards the stream, waddling a bit. Without warning, it tripped over its own paws and tumbled for a bit. Elsa covered her mouth with one pale, slim hand to hide her smile.

_It's like Anna,_ she thought. _Bumbling and so very clumsy, but in an endearing way. And it's absolutely adorable_. A now-familiar pang of pain shot through her heart at the thought of her little sister. _Anna, I hope you're okay. Hopefully you've given up on finding me, and are going to settle down and live a good life without me. I just hope you don't marry that Hans. Find someone, get to know them. Of course, no one will know you as well as I do. Wait, where did that thought come from? It is true though... I was always kept informed of Anna's antics. Riding a bike through the halls, down a staircase and into a suit of armor? How did our parents manage such a rapscallion? But I wouldn't change her._

Elsa smiled more wistfully behind her hand as she watched the little bear cub finally reach the stream and drink from it. _If this was Anna, she would probably fall right in and get soaked. And if this was before the accident, the little brat would either pull me in with her, or give me the wettest hug possible._

She giggled as her thoughts ended up coming true as the cub slipped on the wet rocks and fell directly into the stream. It got up, water dripping from its soft fur, and mewled sadly before clambering out and shaking itself off. It waddled on back to its parent, who licked it and lay back down curled around its baby. Both bears rubbed noses, before snuffling quietly to each other and going back to sleep.

Hadvar and Elsa waited silently for a handful of minutes, before sneakily making their way past the sleeping duo. After they had been past them for a bit, Hadvar straightened and smiled.

"Finally," he said, gesturing ahead of them. "Sunlight. We're almost out now Milady."

Elsa beamed brightly. "That's wonderful," she said. "I'm kind of tired of being underground in the dank depths."

Hadvar chuckled and nodded. "Aye Milady, I can understand that feeling. Come, we're close."

They eventually clambered out of the passage into late morning sunlight, and Elsa tipped her head back and let the warmth and light wash over her. She gave a pleased purr and heard Hadvar laugh quietly at her reaction.

"Well, now that we're out Milady, I suggest we head to Riverwood. I have an uncle there, and he should be able to help us. I also think you should follow me, you don't know the land at all. And if you want to join the Imperials against the rebels, after we part ways, head to Solitude. Is that acceptable to you?"

Elsa nodded wordlessly, smiling at the kind-hearted soldier. _The Imperials would have killed me. You're not like the others. I like you, the others didn't strike me as particularly pleasant people._ Rather than informing him of her inner thoughts, Elsa decided to actually give him an answer.

"I accept the offer to travel with you. And we will see where I end up."

Hadvar nodded, then looked up and pressed himself against a tree, pulling Elsa close. As she followed his gaze, she saw the black shape of the dragon that destroyed Helgan far above them. As she watched, it circled several times, then flew off towards the mountains.

Hadvar and Elsa waited a few more tense moments in case it came back. When there was no further sign of it, Hadvar relaxed and waved Elsa onward.

"This way Milady, if we follow this road, we should be in Riverwood soon enough."

On they traveled, until they rounded a corner and Hadvar stopped. Elsa, not paying too much attention and walking right behind him, bumped into him and opened her mouth to apologize. Wordlessly, Hadvar waved her apology away stillborn, and gestured to three carved stones standing side by side.

"The Standing Stones," he said simply. "A sacred place to Skyrim. Each stone represents a different path one can walk. The Paths of the Warrior, Thief, and Mage. There are ten others scattered around Skyrim, but these three are the main ones. It is said that if you are worthy of the Divines, when you touch a Stone you will be blessed with a portion of power. Why don't you try, Milady?"

After giving Hadvar a confused look, Elsa walked over to the Standing Stones and examined them. They had patterns etched into their surfaces, and Elsa identified them as stylized constellations. She thought for a moment about which to lay her hand upon. She then snorted at herself, as she knew exactly which one she was drawn to, she just didn't want to admit it. Silently, she extended her hand and laid it upon the cool surface of the Mage Stone. She immediately felt a thrum of power shoot up her arm and to her chest. At the same time, the carvings on the stone shone with a soft blue light, as a beam of the same soft, blue light shot into the sky.

She removed her hand and flexed it to drive away the lingering tingles the power had left, and then turned to Hadvar, who was staring at her.

"The legends are true," he breathed. "I didn't expect anything to happen, it was just a story. You are something special Milady. Come on."

They continued walking for a half hour, before Hadvar stopped, throwing out an arm to stop Elsa as well. This time, Elsa could identify the probable cause of his sudden halt. The undergrowth rustled and she could hear rocks skittering down a slope. Hadvar drew his sword, and Elsa pulled her ax out of the loop on her belt, readying her other hand to throw lightning. Their preparations served them well, and not a minute later, three snarling wolves leaped at them from the treeline at the side of the road.

Hadvar swung at one of the wolves, but it dodged gracefully, snarling at him, eyes filled with hunger. The other two wolves circled Elsa, and then one darted forward, snapping its jaws. As Elsa spun and swung her ax at it, it darted back, and Elsa heard movement from her other side, turning rapidly, but not rapidly enough. As the second wolf's jaws latched onto her arm, she let out a scream of pain, the powerful jaws driving sharp teeth into her forearm.

The wolf shook her arm like a chew toy and Elsa sobbed with agony. She dropped the ax and extended her right hand, blasting lightning at the wolf. The hungry animal was so intent on the prize in its jaws that it didn't notice the danger before it was thrown backward by the force of Elsa's magic. Letting her mangled arm dangle at her side, Elsa gave a snarl eerily similar to the wolves', directing more power at the injured animal, until with its muscles spasming, it fell to the ground. She then started to turn, but was knocked to the ground as a body, heavy with fur and muscle tackled her. She landed on her bad arm, causing her to release a breathless, choked sob as the landing also drove the air from her lungs. She felt the wolves hot breath at her neck as it darted its head forward. Just as she felt the teeth slide against her vulnerable flesh, with the sound of a meaty impact, the weight was driven from her. Twisting into a sitting position, Elsa scurried backward, pushing herself away with her legs and good arm. She let out a sigh of relief that turned into another sob of pain as she saw Hadvar stab his sword into the last beast, ending its life.

Hadvar walked to Elsa and helped her up, dusting her off gently before carefully taking her injured arm and examining it.

"That's an unpleasant wound Milady. But we're almost to Riverwood, and Alvor runs a shop. He should have just the thing. In the meantime, try not to jostle it too much."

Elsa nodded, tears of pain bright in her eyes, as she cradled her bleeding, throbbing arm to her stomach carefully. The two companions traveled onward, Hadvar catching Elsa whenever she tripped. In time, the woods thinned and Hadvar grinned with joy as the first building came into sight.

"Ah, Riverwood, it's good to be here again. Come Milady, my uncle runs the smithy in this town. Perhaps you should have him teach you, after you're fixed up."

The two strode down the cobblestone road and attracted several long stares from passersby, especially when it was noticed that Elsa was leaving a trail of blood behind her. As they approached the smithy, a well-muscled, well-bearded man straightened up and looked over at them. He started when he saw the two travelers and jumped off the porch, walking with arms outstretched to Hadvar before giving him a firm embrace.

"Hadvar! It's good to see you lad. What are you doing out this way? And who is this lovely lady? Are you finally settling down?"

Elsa blushed furiously at that question, surprised at the man's amicability. Hadvar returned his uncle's embrace and grinned at the man, before letting his arms fall and his expression sober.

"I was on border patrol Uncle. And, I have news... Helgan is gone."

The smile slid off Alvor's face. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

Hadvar drew in a deep breath before expelling it slowly. "The town is destroyed. It was razed by a dragon. An actual, living dragon' right out of the old myths."

Alvor paled and swallowed before responding. "That, that would explain the noises we've been hearing. A dragon? Truly?" He shook his head. "If dragons are about, Riverwood is in danger. We need Jarl Balgruuf's protection. But you didn't answer me. Who is this young woman?"

Hadvar straightened and gestured to Elsa with an open hand. "Forgive my manners. Uncle Alvor, this is Elsa. Qu-"

Elsa cut him off and extended her good hand. "Just Elsa, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances."

Alvor gave a deep chuckle, and looked her over. "Aye, I can understand that lass. Come with me, I have something that will help your arm."

Smiling gratefully, Elsa followed Alvor into his home, with Hadvar following behind them. As Alvor rummaged around a cabinet, Elsa looked around the room. There was a certain rustic charm to the place, far different from the halls of her castle, but far from unpleasant.

She was startled from her thoughts when Alvor handed her a bottle.

"Drink that," he said. "It will help."

"What is it?" she asked warily.

"A healing potion, surely you recognize that?"

"Uncle, I'm afraid Elsa is not from around here. I don't think they have healing where she's from." Hadvar helpfully explained.

Alvor blinked in surprise. "Ah, well then. It's okay Miss Elsa, just down the hatch it goes, and it will have you right as rain. Although that's a weak potion, so you might still have some scars, but it's better than bleeding out, yes?"

"Indeed," Elsa said with a smile, before opening the bottle and drinking the liquid inside.

As the potion slid down her throat, she felt a soothing warmth envelop her body, wrapping her in a heat she had never felt before. She looked down at her arm, and let out a soft cry of surprise as she watched the skin knit itself back together. After about half a minute, the warmth faded, and Elsa bent her arm, examining it. The damage was erased, but she did notice Alvor was right, her skin was marred by clear teeth marks. However, as Alvor said, it was far better than bleeding out or having the wound get infected. She gave Alvor and Hadvar a beaming smile that would have turned Anna's bones to jelly had she seen it.

"Thank you both so much!" she exclaimed.

"Not a problem lass," Alvor replied.

"Uncle, I thought perhaps you could teach Elsa some smithing, and in return, she would carry the news of Helgan's destruction and Riverwood's need to the Jarl."

Alvor stroked his thick beard for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, that would acceptable. If you're amenable to it Miss Elsa."

Elsa nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Thank you very much Alvor."

Alvor waved away her thanks. "Not a problem miss. Will you be staying Hadvar?"

"I'm afraid not. The Empire must learn of the existence of dragons. I will be leaving momentarily."

Alvor gave a sigh heavy with sorry. "As you wish lad. Come back and visit when you get the chance. We all miss you."

"Perhaps when this war is over Uncle." Hadvar replied, before hugging his uncle tightly. "Take care of yourself." He turned towards Elsa. "And you as well Milady." With that, he bowed and left the house.

"Alright lass," Alvor said, slapping his hands together and giving Elsa a wide grin. "Let's see if I can forge you into a smith. Come, follow me."

Elsa followed him to a corner of his home, where he rummaged through some drawers before retrieving a set of sturdy clothes and a heavy apron.

"Put these on lass, they're somewhat heat resistant, and you'll be wanting that, trust me."

Over the next few hours, Alvor took Elsa under his wing, teaching her how to skin animals, and tan and use their hides. He taught her about different ores and alloys, how to run a forge, and ways to minimize how much you hurt yourself. Finally, he taught Elsa how to forge weapons and armor, as well as some mundane items. As the afternoon passed into the evening, and evening in turn changed into night, Elsa finally finished her first weapon, an iron sword. As she quenched the heat of the sword in the water and drew it out the final time, she handed it to Alvor, who examined it critically. He looked up at her.

"It's a touch rough in places, certainly. But for your first time, I've never seen such good work. It took me months to get this good. You have a genuine gift Elsa. This blade will serve you well, so long as you treat it right. But now, I'm sure you're eager for a hot meal, a bath, and a warm bed, yes?"

Elsa beamed at his praise, and then nodded furiously at his next words, stomach growling so loudly she didn't have to open her mouth to prove her point. Alvor laughed heartily, and waved her to the side of his porch.

"I want you to have these lass. I made them for my daughter, but my wife insists that she not receive them. So I would like you to have them."

Alvor handed her a pair of iron gauntlets and iron boots, which she wordlessly took, and then hugged Alvor tightly, tears dripping from her eyes.

"There, there lass. I don't know what you've been through, but it seems like you needed this small bit of kindness. Now stop your tears, and let's go enjoy the meal Sigrid's prepared."

Elsa nodded, and followed Alvor into the house, where she was welcomed by Sigrid and Dorthe, their daughter. During the meal, the family and their guest chatted and laughed heartily. Elsa didn't say much, preferring instead to bask in the warmth of the fire, and the greater warmth of an intact family.

After the delicious meal made by Alvor's wife, Elsa went to the river to clean herself and her clothes.

As she knelt by the river, she cupped some water in her hand and scrubbed them clean with the soap Alvor's family had provided her. She frowned as she looked at her newly cleaned hands, for she remembered scraping them badly when she jumped through the building in Helgan. She then hit her forehead with her palm as she remembered the healing potion Alvor had given her.

_Of course it didn't heal just your arm, idiot,_ she thought to herself acidly. _That would be a mildly useless thing for it to do._

She shook off her negative thoughts and stood up, peeling off the sweat-stained shirt that Alvor had given her. As she looked down at her bare torso, she remembered to silently curse Ulfric for cutting through her underwear when he dealt with her burning dress. She frowned at the bloodstains that colored her milky white skin, and shimmied out of the pants as well. As she laid them to one side, she smiled, thankful that the cold held no power over her, as the water she was about to submerge herself in would probably be frigid.

Without another thought, Elsa waded into the river, sighing happily as the water swirled around her bare legs. She turned and gathered up the bundle of clothes, including the robes she had liberated from the torturer's victim. She knelt in the water by the shore, giggling softly as the water lapped at her nether regions, and began to wash the blood, sweat and dirt out of her clothing. As she kneaded the suds into the fabric, she began to hum softly to herself. It wasn't until she opened her mouth to sing, that she realized just what she had been humming, the song Anna had sung through her door every day for years. She bowed her head and let her tears fall as sobs shook her thin frame yet again. But through her tears, she began to sing Anna's song, and felt connected to her little sister from so many years ago.

"_Do you wanna build a snowman,"_ she sang, and beamed at the mental image of her Anna, skipping through the halls on her way to the unyielding door, only to trip because she was too busy singing to pay attention to her feet.

As Elsa sang, her eyes lit up and her heart soared for the first time in forever. Picturing Anna's sunny smile and gorgeous hair that caught the sunlight and danced in it made Elsa hurt for her sister's company, but the pain was overshadowed by the love Elsa felt seeping from her heart to her veins, which carried it throughout her entire body.

Elsa's singing slowly tapered off as she realized she had finished washing all of her clothes. They weren't perfect, and her robe's sleeve was badly torn from the wolf, but they were infinitely better than what they had looked like. She folded the clothes neatly and laid them nearby before returning to the water, into which she gracefully dove, letting the river run over her bare body and through her hair. Elsa stood up, flinging her hair back as she did so, before starting to run her fingers through the usually silky threads to work out all the knots.

The moon shone down on her dripping form, bathing it in silver light. As water ran over her smooth shoulders and down the valley between her milk-white, perky breasts, she began to hum a much slower, soothing tune. It came from the depths of her memories, a lullaby her mother used to sing to her and Anna when they couldn't sleep, distant reminders of much happier days, now almost forgotten. Her nimble fingers undid all the tangles and snarls, and slowly transformed the nest into its usual sleek waves, and Elsa reveled in the simple pleasure she felt when people tugged gently on her hair.

Once her hair was freed and smooth, she lathered it up with the soap, standing fully upright so that the water tickled her navel. Elsa scratched at her scalp, making sure that her hair and head were both as clean as possible. When her pleasurable task was done, she bent forward at the waist, slowly rinsing her hair out, combing her fingers through it yet again. Finally freed of the grime, her hair shone like molten silver in the moonlight, and although Elsa was unaware of the fact, and wouldn't have believed it, anyone passing nearby who saw her would have been easily forgiven for thinking she was from another world, one of beauty and light.

As Elsa took up the soap again, this time against the grime covering her body starting with her feet and legs, the lightness of her heart and the freedom of the moment combined and gave her a new song to sing, here in this new land, away from people who called her a monster. She took a breath, and started to sing sweetly and passionately.

_The snow glows white on the mountain tonight  
>Not a footprint to be seen.<br>A kingdom of isolation,  
>and it looks like I'm the Queen<br>The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside  
>Couldn't keep it in;<br>Heaven knows I've tried_

_Don't let them in,  
>don't let them see<br>Be the good girl you always have to be  
>Conceal, don't feel,<br>don't let them know  
>Well now they know<em>

_Let it go, let it go  
>Can't hold it back anymore<em>

_Let it go, let it go  
>Turn away and slam the door<br>I don't care  
>what they're going to say<br>Let the storm rage on.  
>The cold never bothered me anyway<em>

_It's funny how some distance  
>Makes everything seem small<br>And the fears that once controlled me  
>Can't get to me at all<em>

_It's time to see what I can do  
>To test the limits and break through<br>No right, no wrong, no rules for me,  
>I'm free!<em>

_Let it go, let it go_

_I am one with the wind and sky_

_Let it go, let it go_

_You'll never see me cry_

_Here I stand and here I'll stay_

_Let the storm rage on,_

_My power flurries through the air into the ground  
>My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around<br>And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast  
>I'm never going back, the past is in the past<em>

_Let it go, let it go  
>And I'll rise like the break of dawn<br>Let it go, let it go  
>That perfect girl is gone<br>Here I stand  
>In the light of day<br>Let the storm rage on_

_The cold never bothered me anyway! _

As the final words echoed in the night, Elsa's scrubbing reached the apex on her thighs, and her fingers grazed through soft, white curls, sending a thrill up her spine before pooling right back in her core. As she washed her hips and crotch, her fingers kept coming into contact with her nether lips, and the idea of pleasuring herself crept up on her. Unconsciously, her hand movements became much more sensual, and she dragged the soap up her stomach, which she rather absentmindedly scrubbed at with one one hand, as the other trailed downward again. It stopped, hovering just beyond her curls as her mind warred with itself.

That war was quickly over as her other hand finished cleaning her tight stomach and journeyed north to the gently sloping hills of her breasts. She squeezed her right breast gently and let out a breathy moan as her index finger and thumb brushed the rapidly stiffening peak. She pinched and rolled it gently, eyelids fluttering as she let out another low moan. Her lower hand slid through her nest of white curls, her middle finger extending and rubbing up and down her slit.

Elsa groaned, as she squeezed her breast harder, flicking her nipple and biting her bottom lip to try and keep quiet. Her other hand nestled firmly between her legs as she began to rub herself faster, feeling her arousal drip onto her hand even through the surrounding water. She gasped, barely keeping it from becoming a scream as her thumb found the emerging bundle of nerves at the top of her slit and brushed it gently. Her hips began to subconsciously rock against her hand, as the hand occupied by her breast switched to the other one, rubbing the neglected peak and squeezing the soft, smooth mound.

In the depths of her mind, Elsa knew that she should not be doing this, least of all out in the open. And if she simply had to, which she was beginning to believe, then she should at least make it quick. But those thoughts were buried beneath the rising tides of pleasure slowly flowing through her.

Rather than listen to the now-silenced thoughts, Elsa slowed her ministrations, her touches softening. Her lower hand now simply teased her flushed lips, and the hand on her breast began to draw lazy designs across her nipple and areola. She let out a soft sigh, which became a slight giggle when she realize that she was tracing geometric figures without thinking about them. She then reached up and gave her hair an experimental tug in the back, curious to see if the pleasure she felt from brushing her hair translated into carnal pleasure. Her actions sent a sudden, intense thrill shooting down her spine, before pooling in her core, stoking the flames of her desire much more powerfully than she had expected. With a rueful grin at herself, she conceded that she _might_, just _might_, have a thing for having her hair pulled. She twisted the ends of her hair around her hand, and gave it a much stronger yank, forcing her own head back and feeling a throaty moan tear itself past her lips. As she tugged again, she felt molten fire rage through her veins, setting her nerves alight. Desire coiled within her womanly walls and in the ever-chilled soft mounds of her breasts, causing her lips to become even more flushed and her nipples to stiffen further.

Elsa let her eyelids slowly fall shut, hiding her gorgeous eyes from the world in order to concentrate on the sensations coursing through her body. She gripped her hair tighter and pulled hard, not quite managing to bite back her yell of pleasure. With that, she let her hand fall from her hair back to her breast, where she lovingly caressed and massaged first one, and then the other. Her lower hand lightly scratched the inside of her thighs, before digging in a bit more, causing red welts to appear on her fair skin. It then moved back to her snow-like nest, where it stroked her curls a bit, before dancing over and across her dripping lips. The light, teasing touches soon had Elsa quivering uncontrollably, breath coming out in barely suppressed gasps as she slowly drove herself insane. But she couldn't hold back much longer.

Elsa then gave up all pretense as to what she was doing, and admitted to herself how badly she needed it, rubbing her lips faster and faster, massaging her nub with as much vigor as she could stand. Her other hand squeezed and pulled, twisted and flicked eagerly, driving her pleasure onwards. With only the slightest hint of hesitation, Elsa ran her middle finger around her opening, before ever-so slowly sliding it in to the middle knuckle. She let loose a loud moan, and slid her finger almost entirely out, before driving it back in. Her hips bucked against her eager hand, her breath coming in great gasps, her face and neck flushed a bright red all the way down to the tops of her breasts. Her eyelids fluttered close as she rapidly approached her limit. As she slid another finger inside, she flew over the precipice and her body jerked in great, shuddering spasms. As she came undone, a small, ignored part of her mind presented her with a glimpse of red hair and freckles, but the thought was buried beneath her pleasure.

Breathlessly, Elsa withdrew her fingers and let out one last quiet moan, before remembering what she had been in the process of doing. As her face flamed brightly out of embarrassment by what she had done, she quickly finished scrubbing herself clean, going especially fast over her breasts so as not to fan the dying embers of arousal into fresh heat. With her task done, she stepped out of the river, letting her hair hang down as she retrieved her clothing and headed to the warm be that was waiting in Alvor's home.

Elsa came to in her bedroom, the walls covered in intricately painted snowflakes and pictures of her beloved sister. Elsa's brow furrowed in confusion. Something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it, much like trying to chase down the last memories of a dream once you woke up. Her brow smoothed out and her train of thought derailed itself as her door creaked open, and she heard her sister's lovely voice.

"Elsa," came the hushed whisper. "Elsa, are you awake? I mean, if you're not, that's totally fine, you really don't have to answer me. Although I suppose that if you were asleep you wouldn't answer me anyway, would you? Unless you're talking in your sleep, and happened to be dreaming that I was asking you a question. Ooh, that would be kinda neat, wouldn't it? I mean, I dream of you all the time and, wait, what?"

Elsa let loose a very undignified series of giggles, which quickly gave way to poorly shushed laughter. Anna beamed brightly at the sound, bouncing up to her sister's be and flopping down onto it, looking up at Elsa with pure adoration in her eyes.

"Hi! You're awake. Does that mean I can sleep with you? My bed's cold." At this, Anna pouts. "And you're really good to cuddle to. Pleeeeease Elsa?" Anna accompanied her plea with giant puppy eyes.

Elsa's heart, already warm and full of love, absolutely melted into a puddle of warm, fuzzy goo at the sight. Rather than answering vocally, she opened her sheets and smiled as Anna burrowed into them, and Elsa. She then straddled her older sister and smiled down at her.

"Hi," she said brightly.

Elsa smiled up at her an caressed her cheek gently. "Hi there," she said quietly, the simple words and the love behind them causing Anna to shiver.

Anna pulled Elsa up into a sitting position and started showering her face with light kisses. Elsa giggled and closed her eyes and tilted her head when Anna poked her, letting the tangible love of her sister wash over her. She felt some pain on her neck where Anna's lips had touched her, and she hissed a breath in.

"Gently Anna," she said softly. "We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea, do we?"

Anna's only apparent response was to bite Elsa again, and this time, it _hurt_. Elsa's eyes flew open, even as she began to scold Anna.

"Anna, I asked you to be care-"

She found her voice cut off in horror at the sight before her. Where once her sister had sat, a horrible monster now was. She opened her mouth to scream, but sheer, unthinking terror choked it to death before it could leave her throat. Her sister had become a nightmare. She knew it was Anna because she could still see her bright eyes, and her sunny red hair, and patches of her freckled skin. But there were six additional eyes, and then Anna _lurched_, knocking Elsa down as her body _twisted_, black, hairy legs sprouting from her sides as her mouth opened impossibly wide to release two dripping fangs. Elsa finally found her voice, and drew breath in to scream, but then the Anna-spider's fangs pierced her throat, pumping something into her. She felt it race through her veins, and where it passed, she could not move. That did not, she quickly discovered, mean she couldn't _feel_, as the fangs were removed from her neck, and plunged into her side. And then it somehow got worse.

Spider-Anna began shuddering, and lurched forward again, her mouth opening wider and wider as she began to vomit crawling _things_. Elsa's mind buckled in horror, as she saw her sister's lovely face give rise to hordes of crawling spiders that began to swarm over Elsa, biting at her flesh. They flooded over her mouth and nose and eyes, biting and chewing at anything they could. In desperation, Elsa shut her eyes tight, but she could not stop the pain, and her unconscious mind took control, overriding all other thoughts other than FLEE, FLIGHT, ESCAPE. But she couldn't escape the thousands of devouring mouths, and she opened her mouth to let loose one last scream, and they flooded in, choking her and tearing at her, and Elsa could see only darkness that reached out to engulf her.

Elsa jerked upright with a petrified scream that went on and on. She saw movement in the corner of her eye, and in her panic, she used her powers to fashion an ice dagger, which she plunged into the chest of the figure, just as the figure lit a lantern, revealing itself as Anna.

Anna looked down at Elsa and the frozen dagger plunged into her heart. "Elsa..." she said, before falling to the ground, eyes losing all light as life fled her body.


End file.
